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With the release of Apple's iPhone 4S not too long ago and the new iPad just this past weekend, some could say that Apple has shown a lack of new features in their last few offerings. Sure, there will be more phones and tablets down the road -- but for now, it leaves an opening for BlackBerry to strike back with new innovation, features and hardware. The BlackBerry PlayBook continues to get better and we're all anxiously awaiting new BlackBerry 10 devices later this year. Here's to hoping RIM is ready to wow us with new devices in 2012. Now is the time to fight back!

Never thought apple was that great, until I saw playbook.
This article is so delusional. Instead of blindly drinking the kool aid you should be pushing for basic functionality.

a business tablet that cannot use vpn ? c'mon ! I used to reach for the playbook to do simple browsing but its less and less each day. Yes I can used bridge but prefer a device that can vpn and do remote desktop.

I love BlackBerry and their devices but that is way off. Siri is revolutionary and nothing comes close - and the new display on the iPad (revision 3) is stunning and beats anything else out there by some distance.

Yeah, and in response to plagus comment above, I do recall not to long ago one of the Apple co-founders saying that he finds his Android gets more use than his iPhone, and he specifically called out siri in saying the dictation on his Android was more accurate. Just sayin.

+1
Trust me! What makes me laugh about apple is that they release something but hate the bad press so they deny anything being wrong. Recently with siri where it has been in beta for months now and the new ipad over heating and in reviews appears to be slower than the ipad2

I have a 4s Siri is a waste. Half the time I try to place a simple voice dialed call I get "Sorry but I am unable to do that at this time" because a function as basic as that has to go to Apple servers to complete. Some of the functionality should be native tot he program.

It is time to fight back. I really think RIM has an opportunity to make something happen here. I for one am very pleased with my 9900 (minus the camera) but really look forward the the 10 devices. #LetsRockThis

No. You're both wrong. This blog post is not so much about having "facts" as it is about pointing out a simple truth - Apple hasn't done much more than small improvements to their products... This is observed by MOST of the big media I have read about BOTH the iPhone4s and also "the new iPad".... The blog post is very accurate in pointing out that 2012 is a big year for RIM, their last chance I would say. My fear is that Android is going to be the one to capitalise on Apples current lack of lustre.

You apparently have never used or seen either BB6 or BB7 or you would be aware of the large feature and performance gains in BB7 including Bridge (proprietary to RiM), Wifi hotspot function, and NFC. And performance and speed are far better with BB7. There is no BB8 coming. Next is BB10, with far greater capability due to the QNX base, drawing from the strong PlayBook OS. Guess you have never used PlayBook either. So try these before you post unfounded criticism. Or are you just trolling?

I agree with you hold heartedly. I truly don't understand some peoples comments. They obviously haven't done any real homework regarding the product they speak on or into the Brand. Though I will say, I refuse to call it BB10. I think that was the laziest name they could have given. I understand why, but I refuse to call it that. How about BBNX or simply BBQNX(considering that's what it really is). I mean look at it like this, if it's too long to say, then try saying ANDROID. Lol. BUY RIM share!!!!!! Hey Crackberry Team.....your doing an awesome job. Screw the naysayers!

Bridge works on OS5, so now we're down to wifi hotspot,NFC, and performance. I could never get the hotspot to work very well on my 9630 and it killed the battery life. NFC is pretty cool but doesn't have many current uses but I'd rather have it than not, the longer my phone is relevant the better. Performance is better because RIM decided to upgrade the CPU after 3+ years.

I'm really excited for BB10 hopefully it will make the PB and PB 2 amazing. Otherwise they'll just be like apple, no innovation except they won't have a market share.

I went from BB OS5 to now having OS7. I think the differences are huge and I use my blackberry twice as much as before. My 9860 is very fast and smooth and the problems with the old OSs seem to be fixed. I know apple may be ahead in the amount of apps but when 99% of them are useless I don't really see the big deal. Everyone is just on the "we hate blackberry bandwagon" and it is very tireing to listen to.

Alex from RIM here. Sounds like you are off to a great start with your new Torch. The “speed and smoothness” in the 9860 comes courtesy of a faster 1.2GHz processor, high resolution display and Liquid Graphics, giving you a seamless touch experience. We’re hoping that you’ve noticed that it also rolls with 720p HD video and a 5MP camera to pull off amazing photos with face detection, 4X zoom and image stabilization.

We’d also love to get your feedback on your favorite BlackBerry 7 apps that have launched in BlackBerry App World (you can check out the latest and greatest apps here: http://bbry.lv/bM0QK5).

The product cycle for Apple should release a new iPhone right about the same time as the BB10 phones come out. That should make things interesting for RIM on the compare and contrast side of the ledger.

I read an article this weekend where they gave an iPad 2 to people and told them it was the "new" iPad and folks thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Imagine if they actually give them something new!

lol, what a bunch of Apple nuthuggers. Like it or not, RIM is now in the fight of its life. I'm pretty sure the new BB 10 phones comes out after when Apple traditionally releases its new iPhones. RIM is not only competing against Apple for customers, but also Android, which means any holes Apple leaves open is not likely to be filled by just RIM.

RIM needs to forget about what Apple is doing and just focus on working on its own products. They got great proprietary technology like BB Bridge and a unique OS in QNX.

two things, first Siri is for hippie pot heads in my opinion who like to laugh at goofy things lol and secondly did anyone watch the news this morning? i thought i seen a few interesting reports on Apple as far as them being sued by some chinese authors or publishers for their ebooks and there was another piece of news too that didnt go over too well for them... perhaps this blog should have elaborated lol

Oh dear! Please don't even for one moment think you have a flight ing chance of gaining headway!
The day I bought a 64bg PB when it was released and waited and waited and waited for an update was the downfall of rim and their tablet.
Move on I say.

Why is Blackberry even jousting with Apple anyway. The way I see it, there's an Apple tribe and a Blackberry tribe, Blackberry doesn't have to compare itself and fight with Apple just because they come out with different products. By destroying one another in "pride battles" we are just destroying two great products. Two tribes could co-exist in harmony.

I would like to see a larger option for the PlayBook: NOT ipad dimensions - which are ugly imoh - but just a scaled larger version of what we have now. Indeed, something as simple as a 1920x1080p size/form factor. A professional 1920x1080p tablet with optional keyboard could be a virtual replacement for a laptop, especially with remote-server capabilities taken into account.

Don't get me wrong, the current PlayBook is on the right track, but with some vision and daring RIM could really shake things up. I hope someone at RIM is reading this :-)

Agreed. I would like to have a larger version that stays at home and another (the current PB) that I take with me on trips, riding on the train etc. And then the new BB10 phone that never leaves my side. They should also all seamlessly integrate.

I don't know why people are always trashing RIM for the time in between releases of new phones. Look at all other manufacturers. They are pretty much on par with 1 flagship phone release per year give or take a month or two. Just because there are a million licensees for android, it makes other manufacturers seem slow at releasing product. LG releases a flagship android, Samsung releases a flagship android, Google releases a flagship android. HTC releases a flagship android... get my point?

RIM in 1 year released what? 7 or so phones in the past 12 months? 1 flagship and others at lower pricepoints. People need to grow up. I would rather have 1 quality release per year than 2 crappy ones per year.

I really do not understand why RIM is not willing to release a spec-monster of a phone as their flagship phone. RIM always seems to release dated hardware. How many people believe than the specs of the rumored Playbook LTE-edition will be spec wise substandard to the new iPad?

* a full touch screen device using tactile screen to simulated the feeling of having bold Querty keyboard virtually.
* Video chat of PB and BBM of BB Phone integration.
* 3D apps from TAT
* Files sharing [Last demo from TAT]
* BB10 fresh UI
* Basic apps [Cross platform Video chat, YM, MSN, SKYPE]
[Netflix, Kindle, etc.]
* Bring Top 50 apps by category from Other platform to BB10 [If top apps from other platform are available in BB10, there will be less hesitation from users to move from other platform to BB10.

Here are the iPad3 advantages:
Better screen
Faster games processor.
Way, way more apps (but they are restricting competitor in store apps so that is a drag and the reviews show apple users hate this)

Here are the Playbook advantages:
Way better speakers (screen is pretty awesome but not retina display)
Better FF camera, way better
More portable, feels better without the metallic back.
Bridge saves money every month and although no one cares it makes the device more limber if you need to share the tablet

CB said the UI was better on PB and I agree but to a great extent it is a matter of preference.
Honestly, both tablets are very, very nice. The big difference right now is not so much the specs but the price.

I am getting a ton of people into Playbooks because at 199.00 it is a no brainer. The apps are coming and as we near a critical mass it won't matter much that others have more apps. How many do we need?

By not lowering their price Apple has left an opening for RIM. If people try the tablet chances are they will want one.

In my opinion,RIM hardware is on phones and tablets is just the best!! Trust me when I tell you I've dropped my playbook by accident like 3 times,and I'm sure if something like that happens to my ipad it wouldn't be in one piece right now. RIM just need to convince the developers so they can have those missing apps (skype,netflix,tango and bbm)... If they do that and keep supporting html5 and flash, so just like that they will have the advantage of having the same or more than apple,plus flash support and bring all that together to the new coming phones! They don't need to do too much of a miracle, so that's why I know they will make it!

ONE WORD FOR APPLE (((((( REDUNDANT )))))) I DON'T HATE APPLE CO., JUST HATE THE IFANS, THINKS THEY ARE UNTOUCHABLE, INDUSTRUCTABLE. THEY THINK THEY ARE "SUPERMAN." THEY HATE RIM SO MUCH AND WANTED TO FAIL, SO BAD. THEY HAVE NO IDEA WE ARE THEIR " KRIPTONITES "

I WAS AMAZED WITH STEVE JOBS IDEAS AND VISIONS TO PEOPLE. I MEAN THE MAN IS A GENIUS, EXCEPTIONAL INTELLECTUAL ABILITY, CREATIVY & HAS ORIGINALITY. WHEN HE BECAME ILL & PASSED AWAY (RIP)WE HAVE ONE QUESTION TO OURSELVES. "WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO APPLE?"

IN MY OPINION, STEVE JOBS TOOK THE APPLE WITH HIM.
(((( NO STEVE JOBS, NO APPLE!! )))) IT SEEMS LIKE APPLE ARE RUNNING OUT OF IDEAS. THE RELEASED OF IPHONE 4S WAS A DIAPPOINTMENT. THEN CAME THE NEW IPAD,WITH SAME FEATURES AND UPGRADES. I WON'T BE SURPRISE IF THEY RELEASE A NEW IPOD TOUCH AND WOULD HAVE THE SAME UPGRADES. AND WHEN IPHONE 5?? RELEASE, IM SURE IT WON'T BE AS EXCITING AS IT WAS BEFORE. I THINK IT WILL NOT HURT RIM. WITH THE BB10 AROUND THE CORNER. PPL WILL START TO WONDER AND BE CURIOUS

" WHAT IS BB10? " RIM WILL STRIKE BACK. IM SURE OF IT.

I THINK WHAT RIM NEED TO LOOK AFTER ARE THE WINDOW PHONES. THEY CREEPS AROUND, I FEEL THEY HAVE A POTENTIAL ABILITY TO CREATE DAMAGES. SO RIM PLEASE BE ALERT. AS FOR ANDROID DEVICES, I BELIEVE BLACKBERRY CAN LIVE SIDE BY SIDE.. AFTER ALL WE DO SEE SOME ANDROIDS APPS ON PLAYBOOKS.

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 16GB PLAYBOOK FOR MYSELF,PLAY AROUND WITH IT & LIKED IT. WORKS FLAWLESSLY WITH MY BOLD 9930. A WEEK AFTER,I BOUGHT ANOTHER ONE FOR 64GB. GAVE THE 16 TO WIFEY, AND WE LOVED IT.. PRICES ARE VERY AFFORDABLE AND SOLID GADGET. ITS A WIN/WIN SITUATION. CAN'T GO WRONG FOR THAT. WE CAN'T WAIT FOR BB10, SINCE RIM CONFIREMED THEY WILL ALSO RELEASE AN UPGRADE FOR PLAYBOOK.

Hey all.... Very interesting views! I agree to say this is a great opertunity for RIM to get things right. They messed up with the PB and have gone someway to healing the wound for most, some will always be too difficult to please. They should have had 2.0 ready when promised but didn't, get over it!! We are here now and it's tomorrow that matters. Looking at all the stuff from TAT and others I, for one, am eager with anticipation as to what's on the way, but I would rather it was quarter 2/2013 than bring a product that's not ready and have another pb on our hands. The new bb will be ground breaking, I am sure of it (nearly) I think RIM are in a transition period and are nearly ready to come out and bloom. I used bb for 6 years before I moved to an iphone ipad combo. They were brilliant. I still have them. But with work I moved all our phones to bb again as the charges with iphone was killing us and we did a deal for the 9860 PB combo... I was worried.... Now, all I can say is WOW!!!! With the 2.0 and 9860 combo it is an amazing package. I moved from bb once... I won't do it again..... I have faith!!!! Bring on the London.....

To funny, did the playbook sell 3 million since birth? The sales speak for itself. Before the bashing start, tell Rim to step up to 2012 and get out of the 90's. All you guys sit around and talk about is "waiting for years for a release, who's gonna buy rim, why is apple so much better, why is android so much better, we'll be glad when we can use android apps on our bb because our apps suck"

I really like my BB devices, but I hate how I can not use BBM or video chat, except with other Blackberry users....I dont know any! or any that I care to chat with.

I agree with what someone has already posted, the new BB10 devices better come with apps that work across all other platforms.
Everyone I know has a Iphone, I was ready to get one myself until I got a PB for a gift and had to try it out, love the hardware, hate the lack of software and / or ability to use skype....

I still see a stupid apple phone in my future, as everyone in the house has them and I am the odd man out...

Mmmm I think that's exactly why Blackberry is still Blackberry - the iPad did feature everything "needed" for a tablet so far. It's not a PC to carry around.
3 million sold iPads on the first weekend show that this is true.

I still have hopes for RIM, but I'm not posting this kind of nonsense...

Every time I see an iPhone commercial it seems they are talking about the camera, if they hadn't called the thing an "iPhone" I'm sure most people would think it was a camera commercial. Obviously, one of the best things about the iPhone is it's camera, so they play it up. The BlackBerry 9900 has the best and clearest reception, the best and most advanced messaging system and hands down the best keyboard ever and still the best security as well; these are the things RIM should be playing up like there's no tomorrow. No one phone, whether it's Apple, Android, or BlackBerry, is the best at everything. BlackBerry, like Apple, has to focus peoples attention on what exactly the BlackBerry is best at, because if they leave it to those idiotic Journalists and Bloggers, the negative disinformation will continue.

"..lack of new features" ..!! Come on ! Even if we are BB fans we can not have a neurotic addiction to BB. The new Ipad has a fantastic Retina display, new camera, 4G LTE......and it sold more than 3 million in a couple of days.... ! Our only hope is BB 10. If that fails ..!! Well....?

The quad core PowerVR SGX543MP4 chip is amazing and I really can't see that in a playbook, RIM needs to cross 100k apps before it can even be considered a serious contender to Apple, Android, and if anyone is honest compared to games, social media apps, productivity apps, business apps etc Blackberry's pale in comparison. A LOT of work needs to be done to catch up or remain No. 3 or 4 forever.

It's funny Adam just states that in their recent devices that "Apple has shown a lack of new features in their last few offerings".

But for years RIM has been offering the sub-par phones, w/very little improvements, and completely lacking any current specs when compared to their counterparts. Yet, month after month and year after dismal product releasing year, the kool-aid drinking crackberry team writes delusional reviews and tries to justify RIMs lack-luster device line. #hypocrites

I just love how every RIM-bashers criticism starts off with "they haven't done anything for three years!" Yes. We know this. None of us have been living in a cave or keeping our heads buried in the sane for the last three years. So why don't you RIM-bashers give me something CURRENT. Try and talk some smack about RIM's moves in 2012. Cause as far as I can tell, it's been nothing but positive moves from RIM this year. The OS7 Line-up might not be selling well but you can't knock the performance from these phones. They are just as good as anything out there today in terms of speed and efficiency. How about the Playbook? Are you guys gonna be able to say ANYTHING other then "it should have come with email and calendar from launch!" because now it has that stuff. Every RIM-basher I hear these days is singing a 1-3 year old tune. Grow up boys.
--Joz

I'm a self proclaimed blackberry fanboi myself but let's face it, RIM is never ahead of the curve. The hardware announced in the fall for their BB10 phones will be lackluster. Lack of new features? To criticize other companies fully knowing that RIM never competes from a hardware standpoint makes us all look bad. Come on, nothing will blow us away. Nothing will be beyond hardware that can be found today. I'm going to bet the software will be flakey at launch (prove me wrong RIM). Hardware will be average (PROVE ME WRONG RIM!).

I do agree that a lot of the negative press about RIM is uncalled for but a lot of it IS and that is why others target RIM. Going through the Crackberry forums, I see all this love and support for RIM and people with legitimate problems are seen as apple lovers & fandroids. They are not going to get better by saying everything is okay. If something is wrong, address it and fix it right away. Even OS2 had tons of problems albeit minor, it all adds up to the total user experience. Bookmark management in the browser, Random browser crashes, Inability to swipe down from the top in the browser on occasion, Some apps don't "pause" when the setting are set to pause instead of showcase, thus draining the battery are some of the qwirks that sound like they could easily be fixed. Android apps don't always load. Many of them are crap or simply perform like crap. Come on RIM, get your sh*t together and just fix these things. Many times when I try to demo my playbook to my aquaintences, one of these things happen and it
Just looks bad.

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